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Sun, 02 Aug 2015 22:00:21 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.6City House of the Week: Arts & Crafts Stunner in East Mount Airyhttp://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/08/02/sedgwick-farms-philadelphia-home-for-sale/
http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/08/02/sedgwick-farms-philadelphia-home-for-sale/#commentsSun, 02 Aug 2015 09:52:57 +0000http://www.phillymag.com/?p=2992212Prior to stopping its presses in the mid-1950s, The American Magazine published a piece by builder Ashton S. Tourison in its May 1920 issue. His essay? “What People Want When They Come to Buy a Home.” The deck reads: “Some points about human nature picked up by a builder with fifty years’ experience.” You can read the…

Prior to stopping its presses in the mid-1950s, The American Magazine published a piece by builder Ashton S. Tourison in its May 1920 issue. His essay? “What People Want When They Come to Buy a Home.” The deck reads: “Some points about human nature picked up by a builder with fifty years’ experience.” You can read the first section of the article here, but we can tell you now, Tourison was perfectly confident when it came to knowing what people, especially “Philadelphia people,” wanted out of their homes.

So, what does a residence by such an authoritative figure look like? Surprise, surprise, Northwest Philadelphia – his birthplace and early building grounds– claims some of his works still around. This one, an East Mt. Airy beauty designed with the Arts & Crafts philosophy in mind, happens to be one of them.

Born out of his turn-of-the-last-century Sedgwick Farms development, the home has been conserved by the same couple for the last forty-nine years. It’s got a distinct Tudor façade and deep porch with stone columns, but the real show can be seen inside: living room paneled in quarter-sawn oak wainscoting; glass-enclosed porch accessed through French doors in the dining room; and a colorful panoply of rooms that includes a, well, how to put it? A thoroughly blue bedroom.

Of its more notable details, the home is in the good fortune of having built-in bookcases, leaded windows, beamed ceilings, and hardwood floors. Perhaps the only hitch worth mentioning is the “cook’s kitchen,” an amply-sized room the listing says might fare better with a little updating. All in all, though, it’s conveniently situated (WalkScore gives it a 96/100) and with a laundry and separate mud room on its first level. Specs and photos below.

]]>http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/08/02/sedgwick-farms-philadelphia-home-for-sale/feed/1Property’s Photo of the Week: A Forgotten Piece of Philly Off Roosevelt Boulevardhttp://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/31/logan-triangle-philadelphia-pa-roosevelt-boulevard/
http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/31/logan-triangle-philadelphia-pa-roosevelt-boulevard/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 19:05:40 +0000http://www.phillymag.com/?p=2992845A photo posted by jen_es (@jen_es) on Jul 10, 2015 at 7:46am PDT Actually, there’s really nobody around at all, except a church a few blocks away and another lonely house standing in the middle of the acreage. That snippet is from a 2012 Inquirer article on a family residing at Logan Triangle, a dejected piece…

Actually, there’s really nobody around at all, except a church a few blocks away and another lonely house standing in the middle of the acreage.

That snippet is from a 2012 Inquirer article on a family residing at Logan Triangle, a dejected piece of North Philadelphia land off Roosevelt Boulevard and a hot topic among Logan locals anxious to see it put to productive neighborhood use. Lamentably, to read the article’s description of the property then would be like reading a description of it today.

The thing is, it doesn’t have to be that way forever.

In case you missed it, neighbors met with city representatives over two weeks ago to discuss the future of the neglected 40-acre plot, which has been owned by the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority since 2012. (Long-demolished homes that once stood there were sold off by former residents because “they were sinking into a forgotten creekbed“.)

Only a complete lack of musical talent prevented me from starting a punk band in high school called The Sinking Homes of Logan. — Dan McQuade (@dhm) July 30, 2015

You can learn all about the Logan Triangle saga and the recent meeting, which, unfortunately, did little to assuage the justified concerns of neighbors, in this Property post by Sandy Smith. We encourage you to read it in full, but we’ll leave you with this tidbit: among the differing plans for what to do with it, the one that caught out attention was the proposal for a 300-tiny home development with recreational facilities, community vegetable gardens, open spaces, and a “Patch Adams Free Clinic.” Now that’s something!

Anyway, onto Property’s Photo of the Week… Why’d we choose this indomitable twin house? Well, for a lot of reasons. First off, you’ve got to admit it’s striking as hell just standing there without its other half. Second, photographer @jen_es tells us it sits on Roosevelt Boulevard – in Logan. So, it’s a home in proximity to the vacant expanse that’s an eyesore to so many. Third, it’s an arresting slice of Philadelphia’s motley cityscape, which, you might recall, we long promised to acknowledge.

Shout out to Kristin Catoe without whose #Phillyscapere-gram of this gem we would not have stumbled upon it.

Trailing on the green heels of that beautiful – not to mention freshly price-chopped – LEED Plantinum-certified Slusher Residence in Fairmount is this wonderfully unanticipated home: a $1.65 million stunner also with LEED approval. Unlike the Slusher Residence, however, it’s a farmhouse lounging on a freaking wildflower meadow in Kennett Square. Ahem, excuse us while we go Pin-crazy…

No, but seriously. This place is definitely worth a look, especially if you’re interested in living in a pastoral setting for the long-term without giving up superbly modern amenities. (If you don’t believe us, the gallery will likely convince you.)

For starters, it vaunts passive solar designs, a recirculating rain-fed stream on the grounds and a fire pit on the flagstone patio. Inside, you’ll note the soaring timber framing, two stone fireplaces, cedar closets, and view-friendly exposures. What’s more, bonus features include a loft family room, soundproofed den/music room, and two built-in office spaces. Oh, and should you want to enjoy the surrounding nature without pesky bugs putting a damper on things, there’s screened MBR porch, too. Specs below.

]]>http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/31/kennett-square-pa-homes-for-sale/feed/0Pennsylvania’s First (and Stunning) LEED Platinum Rehab Gets a Price Chophttp://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/31/leed-platinum-home-philadelphia/
http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/31/leed-platinum-home-philadelphia/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 13:00:11 +0000http://www.phillymag.com/?p=2992589A few blocks from Fairmount Park is a home that’s of some historical significance. The Slusher Residence is not necessarily important because of its age, but more so for what its design and shear existence represents: a truly green home that maximizes efficiency, comfort and downright sexiness. In fact, it was officially dubbed the first rehabbed…

A few blocks from Fairmount Park is a home that’s of some historical significance. The Slusher Residence is not necessarily important because of its age, but more so for what its design and shear existence represents: a truly green home that maximizes efficiency, comfort and downright sexiness. In fact, it was officially dubbed the first rehabbed home in Pennsylvania to achieve LEED Platinum certification in 2011 (and we had it as one of our favorites in 2014) .

After being listed for nearly $1.3 million in November 2014, it’s (somehow) still on the market, only now the home is now available for $1.099 million. Take one look at the photo gallery by Laura Kicey and you’ll immediately understand that this green home ain’t the Earth Ship we’re talking about here.

So here’s the deal. We understand you want to jump right to it and flip through the updated gallery, but allow us a few minutes to tell you what this place has to offer.

The home features a Smarthome automation system that controls the energy efficient lighting, HVAC, solar blinds, and more. No expense was seemingly spared during the renovation, including a fancy kitchen with high-end appliances, a glorious multi-story window wall in the breakfast room that leads to the ground level garden (and its 6,000-gallon Koi pond) and a master bath that boasts a steam room, concrete sink, limestone walls and river rock floors.

To (literally) top it off, the home offers two vegetative green roof spaces with city views, automated sound and lighting, built-in seating area and a 700-square-foot garden with a watering system and outdoor shower. Yes, the home has rooftop shower views and yes, those delicious looking grapes seen in the gallery are located on the roof. Also, there’s a hammock on the roof, just sayin’.

Still not impressed? Well, the green features might kind of blow your mind. A snippet from our coverage in November:

A grey water reclamation system conserves more than 5,000 gallons of water a year by using rainwater and water from showers and sinks (several in the home’s two full bathrooms and one powder room) to flush toilets and water the green roofs. The home is also equipped with solar panels which provide almost half of the home’s electricity.

THE FINE PRINTBeds: 2Baths: 2/1Square Feet: 1,919Price: $1,099,000Additional Info: One year of garage parking is now included in the listing, which is sort of ironic (depending on your car), given the green nature of the home. Owners worked with Canno Architecture and Design, Think Green Landscape Architecture, Walnut Tree Construction and the Energy Coordinating Agency of Philadelphia.

]]>http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/31/leed-platinum-home-philadelphia/feed/2Rent Watch: Philly’s 3 Most Expensive ‘Hoods for a 1-Bedroom Apartmenthttp://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/31/rent-watch-phillys-3-most-expensive-hoods-for-a-1-bedroom-apartment/
http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/31/rent-watch-phillys-3-most-expensive-hoods-for-a-1-bedroom-apartment/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 10:00:24 +0000http://www.phillymag.com/?p=2991967It’s the middle of the summer and chances are good that you might be looking for a new place to live. We have a map that is going to be quite handy for you when it comes to figuring out that delicate balance of where you want to live, and then what you can actually…

It’s the middle of the summer and chances are good that you might be looking for a new place to live. We have a map that is going to be quite handy for you when it comes to figuring out that delicate balance of where you want to live, and then what you can actually afford.

Rental site Zumper recently compiled a list of the median 1-bedroom monthly rental rates for each pocket of the city. It’s all boiled down into this handy color-coded map that will give you an idea of where the action is and how much it’s going to cost you.

At $1,850/month, Logan Square edges out what Zumper identifies as Center City West’s $1,810/month for the most expensive area for a 1-bedroom rental in the city. Third place goes to University City and its roughly $1,780/month average. The traditional core of Center City looks to range from $1,400/month to $1,850/month and, unsurprisingly, the $1,620/month rents in NoLibs and Fishtown are in the top five in the city.

The map shows that rents in areas like Callowhill, East Passyunk, Point Breeze and Brewerytown are still among the best deals in the city, considering they’re all easily accessible via public transit/bicycle and offer terrific neighborhood amenities.

]]>http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/31/rent-watch-phillys-3-most-expensive-hoods-for-a-1-bedroom-apartment/feed/0Logan Orchard and Market: The Showdown at Wingohocking Creekhttp://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/30/logan-orchard-and-market-the-showdown-at-wingohocking-creek/
http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/30/logan-orchard-and-market-the-showdown-at-wingohocking-creek/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 18:47:53 +0000http://www.phillymag.com/?p=2987589From Marshall Street on the east to 11th on the west, from Louden Street on the north to Roosevelt Boulevard on the south, the Logan Triangle is a 40-acre wasteland. But it could be 40 acres of parkland, and gardens, and tiny homes that could sit lightly on the land. That’s the 40-acre opportunity Paul…

From Marshall Street on the east to 11th on the west, from Louden Street on the north to Roosevelt Boulevard on the south, the Logan Triangle is a 40-acre wasteland. But it could be 40 acres of parkland, and gardens, and tiny homes that could sit lightly on the land.

That’s the 40-acre opportunity Paul Glover and a collection of like-minded souls see in the Triangle, which became said wasteland in 1986 after yet another gas-main explosion took out several houses and revealed just how far most of the others around them had sunk (more on that later). This vision sounded appealing to the 50 or so people who came out to the Friends Center on July 13th for a meeting to discuss how to get it off the ground.

But there’s a hitch: realizing the vision would require the cooperation of the owner of those 40 acres. Since 2012, that’s been the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority.

The seeds of the Logan Triangle’s destruction were planted around 1900, when the city channelized Wingohocking Creek — a tributary of Frankford Creek that ran across the upper northern part of the city — put it in a sewer, and covered the sewer with fill upon which houses could be built.

In contrast to other creekbed fills in that period, the Wingohocking sewer was covered not with soil and rocks, but with coal ash. As the ash compacted and washed away, the homes above began to sink; after a series of gas-main explosions revealed the extent of the damage, the city bought out the homeowners and leveled the homes starting in 1986.

“The RDA took the land by eminent domain in 2012,” Glover told the audience. “They have a developer in mind for it, who’s unnamed, and they’re saying, ‘Let’s build some condos on it.’ We want to launch a grassroots planning effort.”

The LOAM plan as shown in a recent press release.

Glover calls his vision LOAM, which stands for Logan Orchard and Market. It would combine his own longstanding goal of opening the first-ever “Patch Adams Free Clinic” run by the community with fruit and vegetable gardens whose produce the residents would harvest and process for sale. There would be recreational facilities, open space, and lightweight “tiny houses,” all linked by permeable pathways and extensive mosaic and sculpture gardens. “Beauty would be a prime theme with this development,” Glover said in a previous interview with Property.

The Redevelopment Authority sees 40 acres of something else. It had been at work on a different sort of plan, one that would combine denser residential construction with a shopping district and a good chunk of open space, when the Logan Community Development Corporation, the successor to the agency that was formed to relocate the owners of the doomed homes, abruptly shut down in 2014. The loss of the community partner put that plan on ice, and it was in those doldrums that Glover began assembling his plan.

As a result, what was supposed to have been a planning meeting on the 13th began with a brief history lesson, then turned into an occasionally testy question-and-no-answers session involving two of the audience members: PRA representative Pei-lin Chen and Shoshana Burke, a representative from Councilwoman Cindy Bass’s office.

The answers to the audience’s questions came not because Chen and Burke didn’t want to answer them, but because they didn’t have the information the audience wanted: soil studies, assessments of the land’s carrying capacity, ability to support structures, and toxicity, and the name of that developer. Chen and Burke took names and pledged to get the information people wanted to them.

There was one exception to the we’ll-get-back-to-you-with-the-details responses from Chen and Burke, however: When several audience members asked Chen for the name of the developer, she told them flatly that she could not provide that information. That, one resident said after the meeting, was not a good sign.

Why so many in the audience wanted all this information has to do with both the history of the site and the vision of the LOAM plan. Landscape architect Rachel Griffith of the Land Health Institute explained the more recent history of the planning effort.

“The Logan Community Development Corporation got a grant from the Philadelphia Foundation to undertake a planning project for the Logan Triangle,” she said. That process brought to the fore the neighborhood’s desire for recreational facilities they could access more easily than they could Hunting Park. The project also included technical studies to identify where the most stable building sites were.

While this was going on, the Urban Land Institute conducted a study of its own that recommended the Triangle be used entirely for “green” purposes.

Both the plan adopted by the Logan CDC and the LOAM plan include recreational facilities and green space. The difference is in how the two use that green space: Where the CDC plan the PRA dusted off contains a large expanse of passive green space atop the former creek valley, LOAM spreads the space around and puts much of it to productive use growing food crops.

The overall plan could include as many as 300 tiny houses in various clusters, which Glover said in an earlier interview could easily be jacked up should the soil shift beneath them. The goal would be to provide “genuine low cost housing” to people most in need (veterans, seniors, the homeless) or those simply seeking to “right size” their housing as part of the growing tiny-house movement, as Glover put it. He insisted that it would not be a trailer park or a ghetto, but a “wonderful green community” where people can “reclaim their neighborhood, the neighborhood that was taken from them.”

Garlen Capita, a community planner with Wallace, Roberts & Todd Architects whom the Logan CDC had hired to help put a comprehensive plan together, told the audience at the meeting that the plan was 80 percent complete when the CDC shut down. The goal, she said, was to create “not just a neighborhood plan, but a plan that would use neighborhood resources to revitalize the neighborhood.”

In other words, the supporters of LOAM and the people working on the revived Logan CDC plan are on the same page in the songbook, but singing different tunes. Both Glover and Capita expressed optimism that something can emerge that incorporates both visions of a reborn Triangle — “There’s certainly enough room to accommodate both,” Capita said in a post-meeting conversation — but Glover noted that the advantage of the LOAM plan was that it could be implemented in pieces, beginning right away. Several attendees suggested doing just that by planting community gardens as an organizing tool, but Chen asked them to hold off on that idea.

In response to some complaints from attendees that the neighborhood had not been consulted on the plan the PRA is now pursuing, Burke noted that “hundreds of people attended the planning meetings, including the Councilwoman,” and that in contrast to this one, those meetings took place in Logan.

And that’s where the next chapter in this saga will take place, as all in attendance agreed that future development of whatever plan emerges should take place in the neighborhood with maximum community involvement. “It’s best to focus on what the community wants and work with the Redevelopment Authority to get it,” said one audience member, and Glover too said that he looked forward to a productive dialogue with the PRA.

But the PRA will have to acknowledge that some of the neighbors will be watching warily. The fact that the agency refuses to disclose what developer it’s talking to brought up recollections of the fight artist James Dupreewaged to save his Powelton Village studio, which the PRA wanted to take to build a supermarket. Dupree won that one, but that fight and the more recent outcry over a massive land-taking in Sharswood by the Philadelphia Housing Authority raise questions about whose interests the city’s redevelopment agencies are looking out for first. The flat refusal to disclose the developer suggests that when push comes to shove, the city will put the interests of politically connected builders and organizations ahead of those of the community.

The situation in the Logan Triangle is different from those in Powelton and Sharswood because there’s nothing left to save in Logan. But the issue is the same: The residents want to make sure that what replaces what’s there now is their vision, not someone else’s.

]]>http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/30/logan-orchard-and-market-the-showdown-at-wingohocking-creek/feed/1Cheerio! Unique “English Village” Tudor Near Rittenhouse Squarehttp://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/30/rittenhouse-square-english-village/
http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/30/rittenhouse-square-english-village/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 18:19:06 +0000http://www.phillymag.com/?p=2992181Rittenhouse is chock-full of wonderfully walkable streets, but one of them tends to stand out for its uniquely English characteristics in the middle of Philadelphia: the 2100 block of Saint James Place. Closed off to cars, this block is a secluded collection of Tudor-style houses developed in the 1920’s. With a stone walkway lined by…

Rittenhouse is chock-full of wonderfully walkable streets, but one of them tends to stand out for its uniquely English characteristics in the middle of Philadelphia: the 2100 block of Saint James Place. Closed off to cars, this block is a secluded collection of Tudor-style houses developed in the 1920’s. With a stone walkway lined by flowering trees, it’s downright romantic. Imagine having a chance to live within its calming confines?

2141 Saint James Place, an end cap on 22nd Street inside English Village, just hit the market. Listed at $735,000, the architecture–a pitched roof, strong stone wall and a classic brick chimney–does not lack in curb appeal. Inside, the 3-bed, 2-bath home offers many original touches, such as the parquet floors and three fireplaces.

Updates are definitely needed–namely, central air and a revamped kitchen–but there’s something to be said about living in a unique enclave that’s a short walk from Rittenhouse Square. Plus, it’s well under $1 million, has reasonable taxes, in the Greenfield catchment and the HOA dues are a mere $25 per month to maintain the courtyard.

Don’t forget, the Walnut Estates development is in the process of replacing the unsightly surface parking lot between Chancellor and Walnut on 22nd Street with five multi-million dollar townhomes.

]]>http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/30/rittenhouse-square-english-village/feed/0Renovation Plans Afoot for Vacant Warehouse Next to Ben Franklin Bridgehttp://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/30/300-n-delaware-ave-camden-nj-warehouse/
http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/30/300-n-delaware-ave-camden-nj-warehouse/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 16:21:20 +0000http://www.phillymag.com/?p=2990668Hold your horses, Old City-ites. The warehouse in question is located on the other side of the Delaware River. But like several Old City properties, this Camden one comes with some history: situated across from Campbell’s Field and about a block from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, the building, constructed in the late 1800s, is a former Ruby Match…

Hold your horses, Old City-ites. The warehouse in question is located on the other side of the Delaware River. But like several Old City properties, this Camden one comes with some history: situated across from Campbell’s Field and about a block from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, the building, constructed in the late 1800s, is a former Ruby Match factory that later went on to become a Campbell’s Soup storage facility. So what’s it up to now?

Well, after being vacant for ages, the historic warehouse is in for a makeover of Laney Boggs-level proportions. TheInquirer’s Allison Steele reports Philadelphia-based real estate firm Athenian Razak has plans to transform it into a sleek office building with 71,000 square feet of ground floor retail, a conversion they say will involve a roof replacement, mezzanine addition, some 100 new windows, and the creation of two floor levels.

According to Steele, Athenian Razak Director of Project Development Christopher Strom says the project could likely amount to $20 million. Here are the leasing deets, per theInquirer:

Athenian and Colliers International, the leasing agent, hope to rent the finished space to an anchor tenant that could put up to 400 employees in the building. The parcel is close to the River Line, Strom said, making it desirable to companies with young staff members who prefer public transportation.

“The people who are going to lead the companies of the future are in their late 20s now,” said Strom, Athenian’s director of project development. “So, you need to accommodate their living patterns.”

Among the potential occupants of the building’s upcoming retail space are a restaurant and community garden “or some other outdoor venue.” Construction, Steele writes, could start before the year’s end once financing is in place.

]]>http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/30/300-n-delaware-ave-camden-nj-warehouse/feed/0Jaw Dropper of the Week: Step Inside Majestic Brownsburg Manor (VIDEO)http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/30/bucks-county-mansions-for-sale/
http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/30/bucks-county-mansions-for-sale/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 15:15:19 +0000http://www.phillymag.com/?p=2991831Words fall short when it comes to explaining the grandeur and beauty of Brownsburg Manor, an eye-popping French Manor estate parked on fourteen acres in Bucks County. Fortunately, photographer Juan Vidal says more than we ever could through his wonderful photos and video, all of which we’ve embedded below. The latter, included right after the gallery, features some drone…

Words fall short when it comes to explaining the grandeur and beauty of Brownsburg Manor, an eye-popping French Manor estate parked on fourteen acres in Bucks County. Fortunately, photographer Juan Vidal says more than we ever could through his wonderful photos and video, all of which we’ve embedded below. The latter, included right after the gallery, features some drone shots that allow you to take in the full breadth of Brownsburg’s majesty.

Nonetheless, here’s a mini list of some of the property’s amazing features:

And last but not least, outside are an 18th-century French gazebo, multi-tired hybrid pool, kitchen garden, storage barn with loft, guest house, and a pond with two swans (because nothing says luxury like swans!)

]]>http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/30/bucks-county-mansions-for-sale/feed/1Revealed: Here are the Early Plans for the New-Look Headhouse Squarehttp://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/30/headhouse-square/
http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/07/30/headhouse-square/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 10:02:31 +0000http://www.phillymag.com/?p=2991421It looks as though the long-talked-about renovation of the plaza at Headhouse Square is gaining some serious momentum. We were able to get our hands on a few conceptual designs, which show a flatter, median-free parking area towards South Street, some greenery and, more dramatically, the addition of two building–a pavilion/gateway at South Street and a…

It looks as though the long-talked-about renovation of the plaza at Headhouse Square is gaining some serious momentum. We were able to get our hands on a few conceptual designs, which show a flatter, median-free parking area towards South Street, some greenery and, more dramatically, the addition of two building–a pavilion/gateway at South Street and a cafe/information center adjacent to the recently revamped fountain.

Michael Harris, executive director of the South Street Headhouse District (SSHD), said organizers have been working on a plan that is similar in nature to one that dates back to 2006-2009. At the time, Center City District had updated the fountain and hinted at the notion of placing a cafe on the plaza, not unlike the experience at Sister Cities Park on Logan Square. “We just wanted to pick up on the work that was started with Paul [Levy of Center City District] and Center City, update it and refresh it now that it’s 2015.”

Due to a grant from the City Commerce Department and Councilman Mark Squilla, SSHD has the funds to go through the design and engineering planning phases at this point, although not construction. They’ve teamed up with Ambit Architecture, whose office is across the cobblestone street from the iconic Headhouse Shambles, to create a conceptual design of what Headhouse Square might look like in the not-too-distant future. “Not just to do it as a design exercise,” noted Harris, “But to bring it to fruition.”

The idea is to create a more flexible space that acts as a gateway through the plaza and into the Shambles, creating the larger, and better connected, Headhouse Square. “We utilize that space a lot, but it’s not particularly attractive,” said Harris, referring to the downtrodden stretch from South Street to Lombard Street. The top priority of the project would be to improve the overall safety of what amounts to a parking lot. That means better lighting (possibly cable lighting to create a “plaza effect”) and the implementation of a design aimed at calming traffic (buffers, curbs, etc.) in the area to make it safer for bicycle riders and pedestrians, alike.

Hoping to create the presence of a gateway, the first building at South Street is more of a shade structure during the day and well-lit pavilion at night. Early designs show it could possibly become the shelter for the Indego Bike Share station and Harris said it could have a “band shell” type usage for live entertainment during one of their many events.

The cracked and crusty median would be leveled and replaced with a pathway that leads through the plaza, preserving the well-designed axis and access of the original layout. There would still be dedicated parking spaces, but it would be a far cry from the Wawa parking lot we’ve all come to know over the years. Early plans whittle the number of spaces from 44 down to about 28, though that number could change, and it would be easier to make it a no parking zone during events. As Rich Villa, partner at Ambit Architecture put it, they’re essentially creating “a removable parking lot.”

In doing so, the new space would create a more usable, free-flowing layout for, say, extending the wildly popular Farmers’ Market all the way to South Street, providing much-needed elbow room to grab your farm fresh produce and products.

Splashy fountain spaces are all the rage these days, and the LED-lit jets at Headhouse have become a destination for families and those looking to cool off. The second building would be designed to work in tandem with the fountain, providing a place for people to sit and grab some shade during the hot days under a large Sycamore tree. Again, going along with the theme of flexible spaces, early concepts have this building pegged as a coffee shop/cafe with an information center.

As for the design, Jason Birl, partner at Ambit Architecture, said that the overall aesthetic seeks to “mimic or allude to the original Headhouse structure, but obviously in a much more contemporary way.” As such, they’ll be utilizing many of the same materials as seen on the Shambles, including white plaster on the underside of the looping arches and red slate shingles that flow from the roof down to the facade, a nod to the red brick and slate roof of the longstanding marketplace. Both buildings would look to create an extension of the Shambles, and Villa said they intend to use the same historic lanterns that are seen in the Shambles under the canopies of the new buildings: “There will still be all those lanterns in a row,” added Villa.

Sure, it’s early days for the project, but Harris seemed confident that the ball is steadily rolling towards actually implementing the plan. Though some still have questions about the project, Harris said that feedback and reaction from city agencies, near neighbors and businesses has been “favorable” to the overall designs. Best case scenario would be to start work on the lighting improvements and traffic calming features “sometime in the next year,” and ideally, that would include the construction of the two buidlings, but it’s very much “funding dependent” at this point.

“We’re thrilled we’re this close to bringing it to fruition,” said Harris. “Our intent is to create a really unique and inviting public space in the South Street District.”

Both Paul Levy and Councilman Mark Squilla were not available for comment at the time of publication.